-Please follow the MC to the letter, as Mr. Burroughs intended. There is no need to add or take away anything from the program, doing so can compromise the success of your cleanse and even your health.

-If you are on ANY medication, talk to your doctor BEFORE starting the MC, as the cleanse can render many medications (like birth control pills!) ineffective, or otherwise interfere with the drugs you are taking. Especially speak with your regular doctor if you plan to stop taking any meds while on the cleanse!

-Probiotics after any cleanse are imperative. You can search the forum for more details but suffice to say that without them you can get very sick by allowing bad bacteria to take control of your digestive tract once the cleanse ends. Have these on hand BEFORE you begin the cleanse, so that if you fall short of your goal you have them ready and waiting.

-Remember that the Tea is designed to loosen and the Salt Water flushes. Either part taken without the other is only half as effective. Even though the book says you can sub the tea if you must for the SW, he does not mean every day - it's more of an emergency alternative for when you simply cannot do the SWF for some reason.

-Organic lemons are key, as non-organic lemons are loaded with chemicals you are trying to rid your body of. No point in cleansing if you are going to use chemical-laden fruit. YES, the chemicals and toxins DO get into the fruit. Lemon skin is porous, things seep in, and the ground non-organic fruit is grown in is also rich in toxins which seep up into the plant with its water intake.

-You should make your lemonade as close to the time you intend to drink it as possible. That said, it is acceptable to squeeze your lemon juice in the morning for the day's tonic. You could then bring the juice, water, maple, and cayenne with you in separate containers, mixing as needed during the day. I like to squeeze a day's worth of lemons in the morning, then prepare two 3-glass batches to bring to work/school as breakfast and lunch, waiting until the time I am drinking to add the cayenne so it doesn't sit and get too spicy. When I get home I make one or two more glasses of tonic for dinner to use up the rest of the lemon juice. This way its all as fresh as possible - within reason of our busy schedules!

-Remember 10 days is the suggested minimum. I always liken it to the first 20 minutes of any workout at the gym - relatively useless on it's own, it's a warm-up period for your body and it's what happens after that warm-up that is really where the benefits and action happen. Ten days is the time it takes to flush the digestive tract out and for your body to fully switch over to using it's fat resources for energy, thereby releasing toxins stored within. The longer past 10 days you go, the more cleansed your body will become, and the more deeply stored toxins will be able to be removed. Give your body a chance to really cleanse, you won't regret it!

-PLEASE READ THE BOOK! So many questions are answered there, and you can save yourself a lot of time and effort trying to figure things out on your own. Plus, there is a lot of important information about properly breaking the fast.

-YES: use bottled/filtered/distilled wateruse fresh lemonsdrink all of the salt water mixyou can cut your maple syrup qty in half to induce greater weight loss if needed (i go full strength the first 3 days to get me through!)

-DONT:skip stepsalter ingredients or formulasadd supplements not part of the cleansemistake detox symptoms for "being sick"!!!

The first 3 days are the worst (2 and 3 typically). Expect headaches, nausea, and flu-like symptoms. The first load of toxins to go are those readily accessible in your digestive tract. As these loosen and flush out, you will feel the effects! Caffeine withdrawal also hurts! As the detox progresses, it's not over! As your body uses up stored fat, stored toxins are also released into the system creating periods of detox symptoms. Landmark days tend to be 5, 7, 10, and then intermittent periods throughout the rest of a lengthy cleanse. Don't give up and mistake these cleansing waves as "My body is telling me to stop" or "The detox is making me sick"! Your body is just getting RID of The Sick and you're going to feel it. Always drink a lot of water and take it easy. The more water you drink, the faster these symptoms will pass.

I hope all this info helps, I am sure other MC'ers will have pearls of wisdom to share, but I thought I'd get this out there for anyone new.We're all going to do fantastic!

Post subject: Re: For all you newcomers I thought I'd share... by Kari Jo

Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 9:23 am

Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2007 2:54 pmPosts: 19Location: Reno, Nevada

Thank you for posting this. I'm getting tired of reading of the people who are straying from the cleanse and others who are using it as a diet for weight loss. To each his own but it is nice to see that some of us are truly motivated by the healthy aspects of the cleanse and continue a healthy diet and do the best to live toxin free afterwards. Thanks again for taking the time to reiterate that.

That has been my argument (jokingly of course) with my boyfriend everytime he tries to support me. He tries to make excuses to our friends of why I CHOOSE not to eat! Got give the guy a break, I have to SO make it up to him. I think he's suffering more than I am. He's been so supportive as well as this site and that helps!

On my reply, my subject title posted "It's a CLEANSE not a diet" is what I was referring to as an argument. Agreeing with Holly228, it was nice to see someone posting the healthy aspects of the cleanse rather than the weight loss.

Post subject: Re: For all you newcomers I thought I'd share... by Kari Jo

Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 12:23 pm

Joined: Thu Jan 04, 2007 12:01 pmPosts: 16Location: Canada

holly0228 wrote:

Thank you for posting this. I'm getting tired of reading of the people who are straying from the cleanse and others who are using it as a diet for weight loss. To each his own but it is nice to see that some of us are truly motivated by the healthy aspects of the cleanse and continue a healthy diet and do the best to live toxin free afterwards. Thanks again for taking the time to reiterate that.

Now now........who are any of us to question the motives of anyone doing or trying to stay on the cleanse?? I am the first to admit that my motives are to loss weight. With saying that, that is what encouraged me to do this cleanse and I am hoping that I will be enlightened as I progress. Isn't it suffice to say that whatever drives us, if we stick to the cleanse, won't we all also enjoy the benefits that it offers?? And as far as "straying"? If there is a way to make things a bit more manageable as opposed to vomiting up a quart of salt water, is that wrong?? Holly, perhaps you should re-read your post from a NEWCOMERS perspective and you too may find it to sound a bit patronizing. Wouldn't it be a perfect world if we could all have pure intent in all we do, but how about gentle support. The "healthy aspects of the cleanse" are there for us all to enjoy, but not one of us is better than the other due to intention. I apoligize for sounding harsh, however, I have a real hard time with holier-than-thou attitudes, especially when it comes to "support forums".

Post subject: Re: For all you newcomers I thought I'd share... by Kari Jo

Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 3:53 pm

Joined: Sun Oct 08, 2006 7:40 pmPosts: 1167

twinmom wrote:

holly0228 wrote:

Thank you for posting this. I'm getting tired of reading of the people who are straying from the cleanse and others who are using it as a diet for weight loss. To each his own but it is nice to see that some of us are truly motivated by the healthy aspects of the cleanse and continue a healthy diet and do the best to live toxin free afterwards. Thanks again for taking the time to reiterate that.

Now now........who are any of us to question the motives of anyone doing or trying to stay on the cleanse?? I am the first to admit that my motives are to loss weight. With saying that, that is what encouraged me to do this cleanse and I am hoping that I will be enlightened as I progress. Isn't it suffice to say that whatever drives us, if we stick to the cleanse, won't we all also enjoy the benefits that it offers?? And as far as "straying"? If there is a way to make things a bit more manageable as opposed to vomiting up a quart of salt water, is that wrong?? Holly, perhaps you should re-read your post from a NEWCOMERS perspective and you too may find it to sound a bit patronizing. Wouldn't it be a perfect world if we could all have pure intent in all we do, but how about gentle support. The "healthy aspects of the cleanse" are there for us all to enjoy, but not one of us is better than the other due to intention. I apoligize for sounding harsh, however, I have a real hard time with holier-than-thou attitudes, especially when it comes to "support forums".

thank you Twinmom....I was thinking along similar lines but didn't have the patience to put it into words....

if noone ever "modified" a fast we would still be water fasting...because that is how it was originally done....it's not "straying" ...just the word implies wrongdoing....

I am on my 3rd cleanse...and about my 10th fast...I have learned alot...I am glad to share what has been good for me if it can help someone else...I see no need to judge or censor....

and as far as using it as a tool for weight loss...? why not....? is it less "righteous" somehow? come on people...let's not dig our teeth into that issue...esp. since we know that overweight is usually a symptom of emotional issues...so wouldn't a good spiritual cleansing be just the right thing...? I certainly think so...

Thanks LOREN for adding your two cents to my comments. You seem wise and educated in the way of cleansing. Listen, I'm not here to debate intention or anything for that matter. The issue I had with this thread is this. I read almost EVERY post here aiding my decision to do the cleanse. I vowed to be honest in my posts and to keep things as "real" as I could. Lurking here helped me make my decision to do the cleanse. Especially on a thread DIRECTED at newcomers, people's intention should not be belittled. Who really cares WHY people do this. In a journey that is supposed to be spiritual and uplifting, making others feel unworthy right from the start is not nessecary. I agree with Loren...being overweight is very rarley about nutrition. I believe it is a SYMPTOM of bigger issues and that sometimes it does take a distraction from food to help people see that reality and deal with the issue that causes the symptom to arise. So, would you say that this approach is wrong? Just remember that shame has never created change and we should all worry about our own intent and less on the intent of others.

WHOAH everyone! I feel like my reply to Holly0228 has created a sour note to this thread. I don't know her from Adam or Eve, but I don't think she was trying to be "holier-than-thou" nor "belittled" anyone neither. She did state "to each his own" and wanted to focus back on the healthier aspect of this cleanse...and ABSOLUTELY the weight loss is definitely a MAJOR PLUS in the process (who wouldn't want to be a size smaller or two) but some of us may be doing this for health/disease/ailment issues.

My argument with my boyfriend (jokingly of course) is that "This is a CLEANSE not a diet!" It's not Atkins or TrimSpa Baby! And whenever we are invited to any eating function, he would say that I was on a diet. That's when I would correct him. Of course not everyone agrees with any diet or cleanse, our friends would be skeptical. But oh well, this is my body and MY choice. So everyone PLEASE let's just all go back to being supportive and "can't we just all get along?" LOL

_________________Katherine

Last edited by khughes0204 on Mon Jan 08, 2007 11:54 am, edited 1 time in total.

Hi Folks. I think it may be important for me to reiterate WHY I routinely remind people that this was not intended for weight loss, and why it can be a bad idea to embark upon ANY fast with weight loss as your main focus or goal.

Let me explain...

Using a fast to achieve a rapid weight loss can be beneficial ONLY, and I repeat ONLY if the person fasting is absolutely and 100% percent committed to making some serious dietary and lifestyle changes post-fast.

Fasts were originally intended to help the body detox, and in the case of juice fasting, renew and rejuvenate. (FYI: While Juice fasting typically targets liver, kidney, and colon for detox, the MC targets the digestive tract and fat cells.) Weight loss occurs as a side product of these fasts, and at least some of ofÃ‚Â the weight will ALWAYS return once the fast ends. This is true for even vegans, raw foodists, and exercise fanatics - but for those who engage in a more typical american-type eating plan which includes meat, processed foods, dairy, fast foods, junk foods, infrequent to no exercise, etc - the weight will come back on as quickly as it left, and you can expect ALL of it to return.

Now, physically speaking, rapid weight loss or gain puts a lot of strain on the body and can be very unhealthy. Another issue is the emotional strain felt by a person who has "achieved" their weight loss goal, only to have all the weight return within a few weeks. Take these things into account and understand why it can be very risky to rely on fasting as a means to an end if one is not totally ready and committed to a lifestyle change post-fast.

Not only must one be committed to making some serious changes post-fast, but they must be really willing to embark on a VERY STRICT vegan and mostly raw diet for at least a month after any extended fast in order to help the body slowly ease back into eating and digestion again. After a month or two of restricted eating, exercise, and healthy living, the faster can then begin to reintroduce foods back in their life they have been doing without if they so choose - meat, dairy, what have you. But it is important to do so slowly, and carefully, and to monitor the body's response to these foods and take care not to over indulge so the weight does not return.

A simple 20 or 30 or 40 day fast takes over one's life much longer than just the duration the of the initial fast - keeping off lost weight really requires a much longer commitment. I commend anyone using fasting as a tool to detox, cleanse, and "push that giant reset button" on their life - the added bonus of the weight loss can be a great motivator to keep us on track and give us the push to embark on a new chapter in life full of healthier eating and exercise.

Fasting simply to cleanse and detox, without weight as a concern, can still bring about the same life changes as described above - and yet others are happy to resume their lives as before and go about business as usual. Only you know what is right for you, and what your motivations are, and what you are willing to commit to.

As for elaborating on why adding supplements and other things to this PARTICULAR program can be dangerous, the main reason is that the MC offers your body very few ingredients with which to function, detox, cleanse, and operate. It has worked beautifully for many people for many years because of its simplicity, and how the different ingredients interact with each other and your body to effectively cleanse and detox.
Adding or taking away components can pose problems because the things you may be adding, like vitamins for example, are meant to be taken into a fully functioning system operating normally, not a fasting system. A fasting system handles things differently from one that is not and things that would normally be "good" for you, can prove toxic in this environment. You should speak to a nutritionist educated in the MC, or a naturopath or other holistic doctor for more information, but the MC was designed to work in its simplicity and does not require the addition of anything else.

If you feel like you should be on a cleanse that requires supplementation of some kind, try Juice Fasting - as JF requires the addition of herbal tinctures and fiber to assist the liver, kidneys, and colon in the detox process.

I commend people for wanting to "add more good" to their bodies, but I think it should wait until you complete your MC. I also don't think it's wise to encourage others to do so during the MC, as it could have unforseen ill effects none of us would want to be held accountable for.

I am no doctor, and you'll notice all of the tips, information, and guidance I offer falls within the realm of the Original MC as it has been followed for years, mixed with my own research and experiences during my life. Though I have a lot of knowledge of nutrition, I am by no means an expert, but I have spent the last 15+ years of my life studying it and am presently working towards a degree in Bio and Nutrition (double major, fun funÃ‚Â !). Therefore I would never presume to offer information that I do not already know or believe to be accepted as medically sound. I don't agree with altering the MC because of the simple fact that as I am not a doctor, I cannnot forsee the possible dangers of doing so. Cleansing of this nature is serious business! I think exercising a little caution is prudent.

Best of luck to you all!!!
Warm regards,
Kari Jo

_________________"Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight." ~Albert Schweitzer

There is nothing wrong with disagreeing...we can all agree to disagree.

What I do like about this sticky..is that it eliminates some of the questions that have popped up in the forum as a result of someone not completely reading the book. Some questions that may be labeled as a "dumb"question. Most of the responses are friendly in tone...but some of us who may have seen that question already are all like..."Well if they read the book..." or..."gosh, that's common sense..."

I feel that the purspose of this sticky is simply to urge newcomers to read the book first, make your own evaluation, then if there are questions, or somethings that seem unclear...post your question or concern...because personally as someone who has been on this forum for about a month, I have seen a repitition and cycle of the same questions and sometimes they do get lost in the pages and pages of posts...but most often than not...the question has already been asked. I would like to urge people to research and read first before posting. That's all...

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum